Alex McFarlane wrote:2 players in the Open - don't know about the Major.

Is there a reason for the question?

only that a lot of players will have taken part in the event regularly but this is the first year it has been FIDE rated (with the baggage that comes with it) - which can be a shock

certain players in my rapid events have taken to playing on in lost positions in the hope that the opponent will make an illegal move - and some have taken to setting their opponent traps in order to encourage them to do so, such as leaving their king en prise... not the intention of the rule, but certainly one of the unintended consequences.

I only saw one game where I thought the player should definitely have resigned earlier and in that game leaving the king in check was not really an option.
There was another where I feared the player was not going to exchange his promoted pawn but he did, just more slowly than I would expect in the time remaining.

Adam Raoof wrote:...only that a lot of players will have taken part in the event regularly but this is the first year it has been FIDE rated (with the baggage that comes with it) - which can be a shock

It will only make a difference if the arbiters and organisers have chosen not to apply (some of) the Laws when the event was not FIDE rated.

I would be surprised if the British Rapidplay has not been conducted in accordance with the FIDE Laws of Chess for at least the last fifteen years.

The 'illegal move loses' rule had been enforced in previous years, I was a beneficiary when my opponent ignored a check when I had 1 second left with a knight against a lot of pieces. Normally I would have resigned but this was the end of a hectic time scramble where I'd automatically kept bashing out moves whilst blundering lots of material.

Happily the tournament has switched to increments so at least games are decided on the board rather than by who can punch the clock the fastest.